Portland’s new $35 Arts Tax is not a so-called “head tax.” That’s the ruling last week from a Multnomah County Circuit Court Judge who ruled in the city’s favor on one of two challenges to the much-grumbled-over measure. “The Arts Tax is not a Poll or Head tax as prohibited by the Oregon Constitution,” Judge […]
Dirk VanderHart
I'm a news reporter for the Mercury. I've spent a lot of the last decade in journalism — covering tragedy and chicanery in the hills of southwest Missouri, politics in Washington, D.C., and other matters elsewhere.
I've been in Portland three years, love it and want to help make it better. Let's keep it amicable!
Posted inNews
If the City’s Going to Run Last Thursday, it’s Going to Run it Right
The city’s back in the Last Thursday business—at least for tonight. Faced with the resignation earlier this week of a volunteer board that’s run the popular, if controversial, event since 2011, Mayor Charlie Hales announced today that city bureaus will not only be paying to close off 15 blocks of Alberta this evening, they’ll also […]
Posted inNews
Two Years In, Portland’s Emergency Dispatch Software Still Spurs Complaints
Ryan Bubnis As the city gets set to pay nearly $7 million for a new police records system from Canada-based Versaterm, the area’s police and firefighters continue to experience headaches with dispatch software purchased from the company more than two years ago. According to documents obtained by the Mercury via records request, the area’s public […]
Posted inNews
By the Way: Marriage Equality Rally!
Matty Newton You’re all ecstatic that the federal Defense of Marriage Act and California’s Proposition 8 have been kicked to the curb with this morning’s Supreme Court decisions, so this is probably old news. But just in case you’ve missed it, a rally to celebrate the decisions (and mobilize for Oregon’s own push toward marriage […]
Posted inMovies & TV
Crack Is Wack
How to Make Money Selling Drugs, and How to Be Sent to Prison
Do you actually want to know How to Make Money Selling Drugs?
Posted inNews
The Last Last Thursday?
Volunteers Blast Hales’ Proposed Crackdown on Famed Street Fair
How Mayor Hales’ permit process has imperiled Last Thursday.
Posted inNews
It’s a Start
Laws of the Future Might Be Less Racist
In the future, Oregon’s laws might be less racist.
Posted inNews
UPDATED: Hales Backs Down on New Last Thursday Restrictions
Update, 5:34 pm: Hales Spokesman Dana Haynes takes issue with the characterization that the mayor backed down. He says Hales’ office was making suggestions about the event, and Friends of Last Thursday abruptly quit. The mayor’s office didn’t have the time to communicate an earlier closure to the public, so Last Thursday will stay open […]
Posted inNews
Good Morning, News!
It’s Supreme Court Tuesday, y’all! Still no word on how the justices will come down on California’s Proposition 8 or the Defense of Marriage Act (maybe tomorrow?), but here’s some hot rulings to grumble over. Sticking to ideological lines that showed starkly during February oral arguments, the court shot down a portion of the Voting […]
Posted inDrunk
Is Last Thursday About to Implode Under New Rules?
Wilder Schmaltz Mayor Charlie Hales’ efforts to bring Alberta’s often-rowdy summer Last Thursday festivities into line might wind up derailing them. Friends of Last Thursday, the volunteer organization that’s helped oversee the event for the past two years, announced Sunday evening it’s giving up, spurred by a set of conditions Hales set in order for […]
Posted inNews
Good Morning, News!
In a bit of specificity we haven’t yet seen in the case of Edward Snowden, the New York Times reports he’s holed up in “in an apartment in Hong Kong’s Western neighborhood that is controlled by the Hong Kong government’s security branch.” Coverage of Snowden, who faces theft and espionage charges here, has turned to […]
Posted inNews
After Months of Quiet, Gang Violence has Returned in Force
It’s the first full day of summer and, as police have feared, gang activity is rising with the temperature. According to numbers released today at a meeting of the Gang Violence Task Force, officers have seen 12 gang-related attacks in the last two weeks alone, and 15 for all of June, making a total of […]